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Lifecycle Assessment Strategies at AIAG's CR Summit

Moving the needle from theory to practice was at the
heart of AIAG’s 2016 Corporate Responsibility Summit, which took place April 27-28, 2016,
at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Mich. Speakers addressed a
variety of CR topics, providing the latest information to help participants
build a business case for sustainability.

Here
are some highlights from a presentation on lightweight constructions and tires.

Lightweight
Constructions

iPoint Systems’ Andreas Schiffleitner and Pirelli
Tire’s Maureen Kline
talked to attendees in a breakout session about approaches to life-cycle
assessment in the supply chain, focusing on lightweight constructions and
tires.

Schiffleitner said that vehicle weight has increased
with each generation as a result of addressing the need for greater quality,
safety, and added features. This is what is propelling the trend to lightweight
strategies, particularly in Europe where companies are looking for
multi-material or hybrid designs.

“The trend is all about assessing the
environmental impact of a product and its sub-parts,” he said.

Of course, designing with an LCA approach is
important, but ultimately, it depends on where the vehicle is at the end of its
life. “That problem is being addressed through better recycling processes that
are now coming to market,” Schiffleitner said. “That’s where we are headed now.”

Kline joked that while suppliers are focused on
life-cycle assessment “because the OEMs want us to.” There is actually a long
list of reasons to put your resources there, including cost reduction, product
improvement, and even shipping decisions based on LCA. “Pirelli uses
sustainability as a competitive advantage,” she said.

Pirelli considers the social
impact of LCA, using tools internally to map all the way through the
manufacturing stage to end of life," she explained.

“We’re trying
to set some science-based goals. We now have a sustainability report integrated
into our annual report. It’s important to investors.”

Kline said that even though very few tires are going
to landfills now — because they are being used as fuel and in rubberized
asphalt — Pirelli is looking to plants and synthetic alternatives to rubber.

“Dealers say customers are starting to ask for more environmentally friendly
tires,” she said. “Up until now, the perception has been that not many people
care, so why bother? Now, Pirelli is measuring everything and going back to the
supplier and saying, ‘Can you lower this level of x, y, or z?’”

Watch
for more tips and strategies in AIAG's July newsletter. Members can access all the
presentations from this year’s Corporate Responsibility Summit online at www.aiag.org.